Improvement in circular knitting machines



3 Sheets-Sheetv 1.

D. SCATTERGOOD. `CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

.N0.39,499. Y Patented Aug.11,1.8@3.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

D. SGATTERGOOD. CIRCULAR KNITTINC MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 11, 1863.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D.SOATTERG00D. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 39,499. Patented Aug. 11, 1863.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l DANIEL SCATTERGOOD, OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

CASE A.

To all uzom it may concern:

Be it. known that l, DANIEL Sonrrnneoon, of Nottingham, England,machinist, have invented Improvements in Circular Frames for theManufacture of Looped Fabrics; and l do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being' hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures and letters markedthereon.

This invention consists of certain arrangements of machinery in circularframes, or roundabouts,7 as the` v are termed in the trade, ashereinafter described, whereby shirts,

'drawers,hose, and other articles made thereon may be fashioned ornarrowed `in order to impart the desired shape to such articles withouttheir being cut, and the parts united after the cutting to form thefashion, and whereby such narrowed goods are finished, as far as thefashion is concerned, before being removedV from the frame.- The headsofthe frames may be mounted to work in a vertical, horizontal, orinclined position, as desired. In order to produce the fashion a certainnumber of needle plates or carriers with their needlesv are removed fromthe circle of needles, yet'the 'same space between every two needles inthe are moved to perform their functions, whatever be the diameter ofthe circle of needles, all as hereinafter fully explained.

The manner in whichvI carry my invention into effect is shown in the,accompanying drawings, in which the circular frame is supposed to beset horizontally.

Figure l is a front view of a circular fra-me or roundabout machineconstructed according tomy invention. The machine shows a conipletecircle of needle plates, carriers, or jacks, but withonly afew of theneedles, K2,inserted. Fig. et, Sheet 72, is a side view, and Fig. 5,Sheet 3, is a sectional view, of the same with some of the partsomitted. Figs. and 3 show a side and edge view of an apparatus used tomove the loop wheels into their proper posi t-ion when the diameter ofthe circle of needles is altered. Fig. 6 is a plan of two of thcneedle-plates riveted together, for thel purpose of being taken out whennarrowing is to be effected.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all the figures.

A is a plate carried'on standards (not shown) forming the frame-work onwhich thc machine is fastened.

B is a spindle, passing through and fastened to a boss, A', on the frameA. The outer end ot" this spindle has a bracket, b', fixed upon it,which carries an axle, bl, on which the knocking-over wheel G works. Aspring, C', presses this wheel outward. The bracket` carrying the axleb2 has two rods, 2, fastened to it, the inner ends of which rest uponthe inside of the conical collar D. 'lhe inner end of thc spindle B hasacollar, b3, formed on it.

F isla pulley on the spindle B, by which motion is given to the machinethrough an 'endless belt.

D is a pipe, which has a hollow pulley, D2, with a groove, De, and adisk, D3, cast upon it. The pulley D2 and disk D3 are turned to theshape shown at Fig. 3, and then a groove-collar, G, is slipped over thepipe D. After this collar is in its place a conical collar, D', is castor otherwise fastened upon the pipe D, as shown at Fig. 3. This conicalcollar is turned both inside and outside, and the whole pipe with itsfittings is free to move and turn freely on the spindle B.

H is a forked lever carrying two studs, H', which take into the grooveD?. By means of this lever the lpipe D is made to move up and requiredto be greater or less. The groove-collar G is prevented from moving inand out with the pipe D by means of threerods, E, fastened at one end tothepulley F, and at the other to the grooved collar G.

O is the presser-wheel M, the loop-wheel; N, the dividing-wheel; P, thepush-back. Q, is the star screw-rod with spring. It' is thethread-guide. These parts are all attached tothe star screw-rod Q,carried by a bracket,

down as the diameter of the circle of needles is R. rI he rod Q is movedto and from the axis of the frame by a wedge-piece, S. (Shown detachedin edge and side v iews at Figs. 2 and 3, land in plan at Fig. l.) Thiswedge-piece is attached to the lever H, moved by hand or foot-levers, orin anyother convenient way. L is a forked and hooked lever for takingout the needle-plates'. It is jointed to a rocking is an additionalconical guide, p. When this guide is added,I affix a collar by means ofarms on the outside of the hollow pulley D2.

This collar has a constant bearing upon the outside of` the conicalguide p, moves up and down with the conical collar and parts connectedtherewith, and keeps the needle-carriers close upon-their conicalbearings. The arm K8 of the `needle-plate takesinto the grooved collar Gto keep the needle-plates K from rising or falling with the movement ofthe pipe D. The needle-plate K from the outside `to theline shown bythedotted lines K9 is of equal thickness, the inner edge being .thinner toallow of the expansion or contraction of the circle without altering thegage of the machine. Where the needle-plates are arranged for beingtaken out singly, I attach a hook, as at K, Fig. 5, but where two are tobe removed together, I connect them by a pin or otherwise, to aiford ahold for the hooked levers L, whereby they are drawn out when required.l

D4 D1 are slots cut in the hollow pulley D? toallow of the needle-platesbeing taken out.

D5 is a movable locking-plate which holds the needle-plates K fromfalling out.

D5 is a bracket fastened to theA pulley D2, having a pin, x, on it, onwhich the lockingplate D5 turns.

Di'is a spring holding the locking-plate fast on th'e needle-plates.This locking-plate. is turned back when it is required to take out orput in any of the'needle-plates.

' -The needle-plate K is made A with a clip forming a slot at the end,in which the'needle is fixed. 4

The needles are made with a bend at the'.

lower end, as shown at Fig. S. The point of the bend enters into arecess cut in the needleplate K, and thus insures the length of theneedles in the frame being all alike when they are in their place. Aspring iittin g the needle is inserted in the slot at the top oi theneedleplate, and then a small wedge, K3, is forced down so that theneedle is firmly fixed, and still may be readily removed by taking outthe wedge and spring.

G is a thin plate of metall fastened to the parts D', D5, and D3.Saw-gates are cut in them and the thin plate driven in.v The twoneedle-plates nezrt'to this thin plate require vto be thinned down sothat the space occupied by the three may be the same as if only the twoneedle-plates` were present. This thin plate assists to keep theneedle-plates parallel with or at right angles to the a-Xis of the pipeD. 1

It is unnecessary to give any particular information ofthe parts thatare old and bel long to the working of the ordinary roundabout frame. lv

The peculiarity of myinvcntion consists in the arrangement of themachinery in such manner as to allow of the number of needles inthecircle'being altered without altering the gage or disturbing theperfection of the work. I am enabled at the same time to produce perfectnarrowed work, narrowing the stitches from one vneedle to another, as inor dinary -fashioned work.

To narrow the work after the plain part is produced-and to theproduction of which plain part I make no claim, nor to the machinerywhereby the plain part is produced- I leave a few needles standing inthe center of the narrowings and take out the needles, (two needles fromeach side of this center,) two being necessary and suficient for theordinary narrowing, but more or less maybe ref moved, according torequirement. To do this I stop the frame, and having liftedv up the.rocking plate D5, and narrowed the loops for the needles to be takenaway on two other needles, I take ont the required number of.needle-plates by means of the hooked levers L, or they may be removedby hand. The

rocking plate D5 is now fastened down, the

levers acting on the studs Hf are moved to press out the pipe D, which,through the conical pa-rts thereon, acting on the conical edges oftheneedle-plates,moves these plates equallyV all round the circle andbrings them fitting close and tightly together into a smaller cirele,the needles being now exactly the same distance from each other asbefore any needleplates were taken out. The thin plate G keeps theneedleplates from moving altogether round. The wedge S, acting throughthe lever H, brings the vpresser-wheel, loopwheel,'div iding-wheel,push-back, and thread. Y

guide into the position necessitated by the smaller diameter of thecircle of needles, and at the same time the projectins C2, acted upon bythe inside of the conical collar D, bring the knocking over wheel nearerthe center and into the right place for :its work. The grooved collar G,being fastened to the pulley F, holds the needle-plates'from movinginward or outward with the conical parts on the pipe D, and thus theneedles are forced` -into a smaller or larger circle and the ends keptalwaysat the same height. To return tothe larger diameter ofthe circleof needles the frame is again stopped, the conical collar and conicalbearings connected 4thereto are moved in the contrary direction, andtheneedle-carriers with their needles are returned to their formerposition.

VHaving thus fully described my invention,

I shall state my claim as follows:

The employment,n circular frames or round- 'about-s, of a cone andconical supports or bearings for the needle jack or carriers, so as to4afford them a continuous. bearing, whatever the diameter of the circleof needles, and iinpartingmotions to...the. loop and.` dividing, 1andingand knocking-over wheels so that they'shallperform their usualfunctions,what

ever the diameter of such circle, all substan- U. tially inmannerhereinbefore described, Whereby fashioned or narrowed work may beproduced and-nished,.as far as the fashion isV concerned, before beingremoved from the frame.

DNIEL so-TTERGOOD.

Witnesses: THOMAS ASHWELL,

JAS. P. GALVERT,

Both of Nottingham.

